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Oakland Coliseum itinerary by Wise Guides

The Coliseum is surrounded by parking lots in an isolated section of Oakland, but A's fans have embraced tailgating like few others in baseball. So, pack up the car and get to the game early, or if you're taking the BART throw a six-pack and some sandwiches in a bag and join the party in progress. A's fans, unlike the denizens of Raider Nation who they share the Coliseum with, are known as an amiable bunch. Just remember to leave some beers on ice for after. ... When deciding where to sit, take into account the immense foul territory at the Coliseum, which is due to the fact the NFL's Raiders also play there. That means those seats near the dugout may not be nearly as close to the action as you thought. Try some cheaper seats further up the line where the stands curve back toward the field. ... Wherever you sit, get ready to hop up for The Wave. It was invented at an A's game in 1981, and while it may have died out at most other ballparks, A's fans still seem to take some pride in being the originators. ... The Coliseum offers a nice selection of micro-brews. Try a Fat Tire or one of the variety of Pyramid Ales. There's also an Irish pub located behind home plate if you have a hankering for a pint of Guinness or a whisky. ... When hunger calls, have a Saag's sausage, topped with peppers and onions and hot off the grill, with an order of garlic fries on the side. ... After the game, put down that tailgate again and wait out the traffic with a cold one as you discuss the game with fellow fans. ... When it's time to move on, head a few miles north to downtown Oakland and nearby Jack London Square, an area of shops and restaurants and cafes along the water. Go to Heinold's First and Last Chance saloon for a drink, because London the author used to do it when he worked around Oakland's waterfront almost a century ago. ... If you want to hear some good jazz, hit Yoshi's right nearby. ... Or just order another at Heinold's as you plan your next move. Northern California has beaches and the ocean and mountains and Redwood forests and wine country and, hate to say it A's fans, San Francisco, so it might take you a while to decide.

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Oakland A's - User Comments Add your own

The A's should move to Downtown San Jose in order to stay in the Bay -- 2004-03-19

The A's moving to San Jose would be a great idea, and would be a huge success for the city and for the A's. San Jose is the 3rd Largest city in the state and soon to pass Detroit as the 10th in the nation. It has twice the population of Oakland and three times the discretionary income. The fact of the matter is you have to look at the long term future, and that future is not in Oakland, the city is too difficult to deal and they will never make enough money or get enough support in Oakland. Besides the #1 location they had for the Stadium Downtown located on the edge of Bay has been approved for a housing project and is a done deal. So the only way to keep the A's in the Bay Area is by moving them 38 miles down the freeway to San Jose/ Silicon Valley.

The City of San Jose does want the A's that is why they have created the Sports facilities task force. They have a location right in Downtown San Jose close to all of the free parking and bars, restaurants, hotels and cultural events. The Mayor and the city council have all expressed a strong interest in the proposal and have already explored financing mechanisms. The Giants tried to move to San Jose in the early 90's thru entirely public money. When the economy was good it was approved and fell apart afterwards, when the economy was bad it failed by a small margin. Besides San Francisco deserves a baseball team and the Giants are a perfect fit. However Oakland does not and if the A's moved to San Jose they would go from alley cat to big dog overnight. Their team salary would double and their is much more opportunity for corporate sponsorship in the extremely lucrative Silicon Valley market. Just look at the Sharks many people thought that hockey would not survive now they are one of the most successful teams in the league with one the of the best fan bases. They Sold out every game for over a decade only now with the current economic conditions do they not sell out occasionally. The Sharks are thriving in San Jose and the A's would be equally successful.

As far as the issue of territorial rights the only reason the Giants were given the rights to San Jose is when they tried to move their in the early 90's. It created a special territory in Santa Clara County, because the Giants wanted to relocate their. However the Giants have secured their ballpark and it is a huge success they belong in San Francisco and SBC Park will continue to be a revenue machine for them, and in NO WAY WOULD be effected by the A's moving to San Jose. They would be farther away then the A's are now. Secondly San Jose/Silicon Valley is a very different Metro Region then San Francisco/Oakland. It has its own identity and it would intensify the A's vs. Giants rivalry games.

The A's belong in San Jose and Would be a long term success for all parties involved.

ATown875

-- 2003-12-07

I attended a game at Network Associates Coliseum on 5-24-03 with Kansas City as the opponent. I've seen all the old and new ballparks to date with the exception of Florida (outside only) and Great American in Cincy.

I viewed the game from every level, as I usually try to do when visitng ballparks. The views from the seats are very good considering their distance from the field. Seat comfort is average, although slipping past the other fans in the aisle is tight. The concession stands on the main concourse back of home plate are terrible. There's not much space between the concession areas and the stands and the line is backed up to the stands, which forces people walking the concourse to cut ahead and behind of you.

The exterior of the park is unimpressive. Although I drove to the coliseum the BART station is just beyond the CF bleachers. I parked on the other side of the freeway off the exit immediately north of the coliseum. At the end of the exit turn right, then turn right at the "T" street (you're real close to the bay here). You will see plenty of spaces along the street to park free. On the east side of this street you will see a parking lot, where the fee is $10(if memory serves). The parking lot is gravel or cinders. I usually try to arrive at a game at least 1.5 hours before the game, and there wasn't much street parking left so it's best to arrive early.

The best area to hang around is probably the bar area on the second level back of third base. I only saw it on the way out of the park.

Fred

Let's Go Oakland!! -- 2003-10-04

The Net is a great place. It is the place you want to go to have a good time. I have been to SAFECO, I've been to Pac Bell, I've been to Edison. This is the difference... NOISE!!

At an A's games, our fans are actually loud!! It's not a quiet stadium. I once went to Pac Bell park, I was talking to a buddy of mine, this old guy turns around and says "SHHHH!!" I replied ... this is baseball dude, not a tennis match"

With all these new ball parks coming in, the feeling is going out. When you walk into The Net, you feel the excitement.

We have history here, many different types of beer, pretty good food.

The A's are the best team in baseball.

Let's go Oakland!

Brian Mack

The stadium is just fine!! -- 2003-01-23

I don't know why people berate the A's stadium so much.

Yes, there used to be a view of the Oakland Hills. Whoopee, the Oakland Hills. May I remind you that you came to watch baseball?

Yes, the view is blocked when you're in the new football seats. The only reason those seats are open is when the baseball facility sells out. Would you rather be sitting in the parking lot?

Yes, it's not the most attractive stadium in the world, but again, you came to watch the field.

Now the good stuff: The field is kept in great condition, even when the Raiders start to play in September. The deep green of the grass is beautiful to watch under the warm California Sun or a cool, starry evening.

That brings me to the next point: the weather. Whether they new it or not, baseball was meant for California. It doesn't rain for the duration of the season, heck it's barely cloudy all summer. The night games are a little chilly I'll admit, but bring a jacket and enjoy the game being played under the setting sun and eventually under the stars.

Public transportation. Bart is easy to take to and from the games. If you can ignore the old rail parts underneath the walkway, you'll be fine. Parking and traffic are easy. Even when they had a record crowd (55,000... I was there) it was no big deal to get on the freeway and be on my way afterwards. It's nothing like Atlanta or San Francisco for that matter.

I would enjoy a new stadium for the A's very much, but the Coliseum serves, and has served, us very well. Check it out, enjoy the game, and Go A's!

Scott Farrar

Fun times at the park -- 2002-05-17

There is always a lot of negative things said about the Coliseum, but I personally love the place. Granted, Mount Davis ruined the view, but the people at the park make it worth while. The bleachers are rowdy, the upper deck provides a good look at the game, the West Side club (bar area on the 1st base line 2nd deck) is a perfect place to hang out, the parking lot is fun for tailgators. The place is old (1968 I think) but it's clean and the people that do show up love their team. It's one of the few things I can afford to do on a regular basis - I make 20-25 games a year and I live an hour away. Wednesday home games feature $1 tickets and $1 hotdogs. Bleacher seats are $7 (general admission), upper deck $8. Lower level around $18 to $22. I've never had trouble getting in or out of the main lots. It may be selfish, and not great for the franchise, but I love the fact that we can still show up and by tickets at the gate for cheap. Reommedation: Get the bleacher or other cheaper seats (the views are all good), park in the dirt lot across the freeway (saves $10 and isn't an incredible hike), have your beers in the lot before the game. An inexpensive night for the money conscious. Go A's!

Rick

Bring your sunscreen... -- 2002-05-09

I made a mistake by not bringing sunscreen with me and my wife & I got burnt to a crisp! Tickets were cheap, the beers were not!

Jeff

Worst stadium in the Majors -- 2001-10-29

OK I haven't seen Montreal. For a "surburban" stadium (almost outside of Oakland) the parking lot is small and hard to get into, the ped. bridge leading to the train (BART) goes over a hazardous waste facility, and is usually packed. Inside are three ugly concrete seating levels, with the 3rd tier being to high and far away from the action (you could probably put Pac Bell Park in the foul territory.) The view of the Oakland Hills used to be nice but the ugly football bleachers (taller than the main stadium) cuts off this view and the outfield fence is a contrived mess.

Some genius decided that there should be a walkway IN FRONT of the seats in the 2nd and 3rd level, so if you get tickets in these levels start at row 4 or your view will be impaired all game. Best seats are in the 2nd deck near home plate rather than in the 1st deck down the line.

Food is good and crowd seems to wake up for dot racing.

Jay K

A'S BALLPARK -- 2001-10-19

RECENTLY WENT TO THE 2001 YANKEE/OAKLAND DIVISION SERIES GAMES OVER A TWO DAY PERIOD. HOOOOOW THEY PLAY BASEBALL IN THAT STADIUM, YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT, IS BEYOND ME! ITS A TERRIBLE STADIUM MORE SUITED TO A LOW END COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM, JUST TERRIBLE. SEATING IN THE UPPER LEVELS AND THE OUTFIELD IS AWFULL VIEWING AND EVEN WORSE TO GET TO. PARKING IS ALSO A JOKE. HOPE YOU MAKE IT IN THE MAIN LOT OR YOU ARE QUICKLY DOWNGRADED TO DIRT LOTS AND BUSINESS PARKING ACROSS THE FREEWAY AND A MILE AWAY!

JOHN NEMO

Best Value in Baseball -- 2001-10-11

The stadium leaves something to be desired, but it's as much a ballpark as any of the old cookie cutters from the 70s. The extra foul territory and the "jagged edge" wall give it a bit of character.

Sit in the plaza level behind home plate. Those seats are only $18. To compare, the last row of the upper deck at Busch Stadium is the same price. At the Coliseum the upper deck is $8. Also remember that the sun sets behind the third base on-deck circle. That means seats high in the middle deck behind the third base dugout/on-deck circle are the first to get shade. That's important to me and my wife, anyway.

Jason Chamberlain

The stadium -- 2001-09-25

Had an opportunity to see the A's take on Seattle early in the season. Seats are spread out all over but most have a good view of the field. You can tell this is built for football and not baseball. Food was so-so, tickets cheap and getiing in / out was a joke. This was a midweek, day game and it still took over an hour to get out...(long enough for a decent cigar).

Tom Trunda

They need a new park -- 2001-08-24

I love the A's, but they need a new stadium. That jerk Al Davis and the crappy Raiders came over and destroyed a really nice looking baseball stadium. "Mount Davis" in centerfield looks like a spaceship from Independence Day. The A's are obviously one of the best teams in baseball and they have tons of youth, they deserve a new stadium. And NOT in Oakland, NOT in Las Vegas, NOT in Sacramento, they need one in Santa Clara or San Jose, where the money is. Where the Dot.com companies will get into a bidding war over the name of the stadium, making it one of the best stadiums in baseball. But going to the Oakland Coliseum is still fun, it's a great atmosphere, the tickets are cheap, it's loud, there's drums, horns and yelling fans everywhere. It's a great park for a family. And the team is worth watching too.

Payman A.

Oakland Coliseum -- 2001-08-01

Not the greatest ball park, but tix were cheap and came with a free meal. The banjo guy was a riot! and who was playing the drums? I looked all night and couldnt see him. Gerry

Gerry DeViller

Overall impression -- 2001-07-27

Not a great park. The only benefit of taking a game in here is that tickets come relatively cheap. Once a decent park (prior to the Raider raid of the mid-1990's). Catch a game in Oakland only if the Giants are out of town, Pac Bell Park is sold out, a key team or player is in town, or the A's are on a streak. You get that bleak feeling of dispair in Oakland on a cold April weeknight. Bundle up. I'm guessing the A's are only waiting to move to San Jose so catch a game here within the next two seasons.

Robert Unrue

a good place -- 2001-06-30

first, i am a mets fan from new york. I haven't been to the coliseum in a while. my last (and only) game there was the first game after they traded mark mcgwire to the cards. It was a really depressing atmosphere, seeing the player on he front of the program (bigger than ESPN the Mag at the time) traded for two nobodies. The sight lines were excellent, but who knows how it is now. The food was decent. I don't know about parking, we went with work on a charter bus

Brian Wysocki

Yankee fan likes coliseum -- 2001-06-07

Im from new york, a diehard yankee fan. I recently went to Pac Bell and the Oakland Coliseum and enjoyed the game at Oakland much more. Real cool die hard fans, not many of them though. 1 dollar games on Wednesday is a huge plus. Beers not too much, thats cool. The guy with the cape and the banjo is the man. I still dont understand why they dont let you all the way down to field level when there is only 10 thousand people there. Oh and the heat was horrendous (101, a record). I geuss i can see how it was better before Al Davis renovated it. There was a track fire on the BART and we were stuck at that station with hundreds of fans for two hours. THat really sucked. Bleacher creatures were real cool, of course not as crazy as us at Yankee Stadium, but they were much REALER baseball fans than at Pac Bell

eric

The place Charlie Finley built and Al Davis ruined -- 2001-06-04

This is the only ballpark I actually been in, back in 1978, A's vs Jays, back when it looked like a baseball stadium. Now it has that ugly outfield walls and that massive football seating thanks to Al Davis. The A's need to move out and build a stadium fit for baseball.

David Bryant

Still a good place to catch a game -- 2001-06-01

Big Al screwed up another good thing. While this place was never great to look at from the outside, it used to have very nice views from the seats. Unless you were sitting in the outfiled, your view of that area was a nice one: a few bleachers, a pretty grass hill, trees, and a pleasant view of the Oakland hills. Then along came Al Davis, who threatened to move the Raiders, again, if the Colliseum didn't build a HUGE seating structure in the outfield in place of all I just mentioned. They obliged, unfortunately. Hence, the ugly mass out there is known as "Mount Davis" to most fans.

But: it's still a good place to catch an exciting team. The crowds are pathetic, ususally, but that does mean great seats are to be had. Good food, mid-to-high costs. One thing else that bothers me is that they don't have beer sellers walking around (you have to go to a stand)!

Oak Fan

The Oakland A's Experience -- 2001-05-22

Network Associates Coliseum is the (current) home of the 2000 AL West champs. Formerly known as Oakland Alameda County Coliseum, this was actually a nice place to watch a game, before Al Davis and the Raiders returned in 1995. While not as asthetically pleasing as many of the 'retro' parks, it's still an enjoyable place to catch a game.

Good seats can be had for most home games (save for when the Giants are in town or on fireworks night). Seats behind home plate are less than $20 and the sightlines are mostly clear throughout the stadium.

The BART is your best bet for transportation on the weekend games, but during the week, you can drive in with minimal hassle. The highlight of the Coliseum is definitely the food. My favorites include the Chicken Cheesesteak sandwich, the sausage and peppers sandwich and the Super Nachos.

The small crowds can be depressing, considering the exciting young talent on the field, but the fans are generally knowledgable and enthusiastic. A good baseball experience, to be sure.

Aaron J. Cameron

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